Getting your kids used to new ideas and concepts is part of being a parent. One example is karate, which both of my daughters started doing recently.
By doing this, both kids learned a whole new way to be disciplined. Helen, my eight-year-old daughter, got this very quickly.
The kids could have only had a few lessons before she said, "Our Karate teacher is very strict."
Yes, he is very strict. Since the lessons only last an hour, I usually stay to watch so I can see them in all their glory.
As a side note, this is a problem for me because this karate lesson has a part for adults. I feel myself getting progressively dragged in. I think that I will try it myself at some point in the future, but that's a different story.
If a child puts their foot in the wrong place, Yandon, the teacher, doesn't waste any time letting them know. If a child starts to act up, they are sent outside right away.
I don't want you to think something wrong. The idea of discipline is not new to this family, and we take it very seriously. Sometimes we negotiate, sometimes, to use management-speak, we "engage and empower," and sometimes we "inform and instruct." You just do what the teacher tells you to do in these karate lessons.
Helen, who is the most sensitive of our kids, seems to have picked up on this. Izzy, on the other hand, just goes along with the plan and doesn't question it at all. In fact, several parents have told me how quickly she has learned the moves and how well she follows the instructions.
She is the youngest person in the group, and she has already gotten her first degree. This means that she is close to getting her first coloured belt. This is interesting to Mrs. Adams and me because Izzy is, ahem, the more difficult of our two kids to discipline. In karate class, though, she just does what the teacher says.
I talked about it with a mom the other day. She said that her son also took football lessons where the teacher didn't bend an inch and all the kids had to do what they were told.
She said, "Of course he's strict. He's teaching 20 boys. He has to be."
This has another side to it. Even though the rules are very strict, the older kids, mostly teenagers, are very helpful and kind to the younger ones. Those with more experience are expected to help out and help their younger charges during the lessons. This is nice to see, and I hope my kids notice it too.
Would I want to use karate as a way to keep myself in line at home all day, every day? No way, that would drive me crazy. For an hour a week, though, I'm happy for my kids to learn about this different way of doing things. In fact, it seems to make things better.
Do your kids learn how to fight? Do they go to a group or do an activity where discipline is the most important thing? Do you like strict rules for your kids, or would you rather let them make their own? Leave a comment below, I'd love to know what you think.
Give us a call for free karate classes in rochdale
Comments
Post a Comment